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1997 Geo Prizm

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 1997 Geo Prizm do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 46.

About this comparison →
50Owner complaints

Model-year median: 46

1Recall campaigns

View recall details →

0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
134
199496
199561
199650
199711
199824
19997
2000
Compare all Prizm years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Seat Belts
17Air Bags
15Steering
5Service Brakes, Hydraulic
4Suspension
3
All reported categories
Electrical System
2Equipment
2Exterior Lighting
2Power Train
2Tires
2Child Seat
1Engine And Engine Cooling
1Parking Brake
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 11 of 50 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Seat Belts. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

13 crash reports2 fire reports4 injury reports

Seat Belts complaints

17 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Sep 6, 2001
Seat Belts

DRIVER'S SEAT BELT LOCKS AND DOESN'T RETRACT AS NORMAL. CONSUMER HAS TO PULL, INCHING THE STRAP OUT SO THAT IT WON'T LOCK UP. THIS WAS SECOND TIME SEAT BELT WAS REPAIRED.*AK

NHTSA ODI #895872

Mileage unknown · Apr 18, 2001
Seat Belts

DRIVER'S/ PASSENGER'S AND REAR SEAT BELTS HAVE ALL BECOME JAMMED IN RETRACTING MECHANISM, AND WILL NOT RELEASE, CAUSING SEAT BELTS TO BECOME INOPERABLE. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ODI #886267

Mileage unknown · Jul 26, 2000
Seat Belts

DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT LOCKING UP. *AK

NHTSA ODI #726061

Mileage unknown · Dec 15, 1999
Seat Belts

SEAT BELT WON'T PULL OUT TO RESTRAIN DRIVER . *AK

NHTSA ODI #854070

Mileage unknown · Feb 2, 1999
Seat Belts

CONSUMER HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH DRIVER'S SIDE SAFETY BELT. SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILED TO RELEASE, THEY TEND TO JAM UP IN THE RETRACTED POSITION. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK *ML

NHTSA ODI #834398

Mileage unknown · Oct 19, 1998
Seat Belts

SEAT BELT FAILED SEVERAL TIMES RESULTING IN LOCKING UP.

NHTSA ODI #542098

Mileage unknown · Aug 24, 1998
Seat Belts

SEAT BELT HAS LOCKED UP AT THE RETRACTOR. THE BELT WILL NOT RELEASE ITSELF OUTWARD. *AK

NHTSA ODI #827131

Official recalls

1

97V043002 · Air Bags

Mar 20, 1997

IF THE AIR BAG COMPUTER IN A SUBJECT VEHICLE EXPERIENCES A MECHANICAL SHOCK (I.E., RAPIDLY MOVING THE FRONT SEAT BACK AGAINST THE STOPS OR A SUDDEN RELEASE OF THE PARKING BRAKE) WITHIN A VERY SHORT TIME AFTER THE ENGINE IS STARTED, THE AIR BAG CAN DEPLOY INADVERTENTLY.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: UNEXPECTED AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT CAN RESULT IN OCCUPANT INJURY.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE AIR BAG COMPUTER.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.